Of Interest

Election night brought to a conclusion the most divisive American presidential campaign in recent memory. Many members of the Williams community, including—but not limited to—women; immigrants, both documented and not; people of color; Muslims, Jews, and other religious minorities; and LGBTQ people have felt directly and deeply the rhetoric of this campaign. The rhetoric was threatening and destructive both to the individuals at whom it was aimed and to our society’s most essential values.

Even before Election Day, there had been a deep worry—which I share—that the vitriol would continue beyond the campaign season. It is essential that we recommit ourselves today, as American society at large and as a Williams family here, to the fundamental respect and care for each other that underlie all healthy communities.

On the national, state, and local levels, this means engaging in politics, each of us working as hard as we can to ensure that the laws, policies, and practices of our government reflect concern for everyone in our world.

Here at Williams, it means renewing our commitment, as we should do every single day, to a fully inclusive, equitable community in which everyone can thrive. It means treating each other with deep respect, as we attend particularly to those who feel most vulnerable in this, or any, moment.

I’m inspired by the ways I see our community already seeking to unite this morning, and I’m reminded once more of the fundamental relevance of a Williams education. Our work—to educate global citizens who are informed and empowered to lead and who feel a responsibility to help create the community we all most fervently desire to live in—today seems more important than ever.

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10 Responses to “A Path Forward, Together”

David Dudley Field '25 says:

Honest question: How many undocumented people are at Williams? I assume that there are no undocumented employees. The College follows employment law and requires that employees provide the relevant documentation. I also don’t think that the College has any undocumented students. There are, for example, no Mexican nationals among the student body.

Now let’s ban speakers with whom we disagree and prop up fake hate crimes….

Because we all know that’s the way to ensure people like Trump never take the presidency…oh shit….Maybe we should have treated people with bad/immoral/(or maybe just disagree with) ideas with a little more compassion instead of doing what Falk did, which was be a condescending asshole stuck in his magical purple bubble, withhold the benefit of the doubt and drive out the “Fuck You” vote.

Thanks Falk, with people like you in charge we will be sure to have a more just and equitable future (minus the just and equitable).

Maybe we could start the healing process by apologizing to all the young white and Asian students that Williams College has discriminated against during its decades long crusade to promote divisive Democrat party values. We always hear from the grateful victims of this discrimination. We should now start to listen to the voices of those who have been grievously harmed by it. (Including mine.) Accordingly, we should set some new ground rules reflecting our new electoral reality:

1. White Identity Politics: Expressing an affinity to white identity politics does not make you a member of the KKK, an erstwhile Nazi, or a racist. There is, in fact, nothing wrong with fighting on behalf of the interests of white people, especially when college and national policies are explicitly designed to weaken and harm them as a group.

2. Traditional Religious Values: There is nothing wrong with articulating a Bible based perspective and acting on it in word and deed. The Judeo-Christian faith is responsible for most of the peace and prosperity we see in the world. It should be welcomed and encouraged on campus. In contrast, we should study Islam and expose it’s anti-gay, anti-Jewish and and anti-Christian totalitarianism. We should be perfectly free to denounce Islam or make picture of the Prophet in perfect safety on any college campus without regard to anyone’s feelings, religious beliefs or fears of persecution.

3. Race: Being a race realist, or a sex realist, or a gay realist does not, in any way, make you a racist, sexist or homophobic. These are entirely different matters. In other words, we should be allowed to speak, write and organize along the lines of realism and to oppose the unrealistic dreams or fabrications of the Democrat left as unhealthy, dysfunctional and potentially dangerous.

The bottom line is that Williams College has done grave damage to the white working class over many years. It has treated the white working class with hatred, disdain and discrimination. Williams College should leverage the election of Donald J. Trump to make broad changes which will return Williams College to being a prestigious, merit-based institution which is focused solely on excellent and truth.

If the Williams administration, along with most other elite (and not-so-elite) colleges have decided that only half (or less) of the country deserves its support, is it any wonder that middle America feels ostracized by the totalitarian liberal hegemony over higher education? How many people does Falk need to ban from campus now to keep students safe?

How dare you “disappointed”, I’m disappointed in your privilege! haven’t you heard that 50% of the country are ignorant rubes that are deplorable and irridemable! You shall be banned from Williams college for thought crime #8601!

Unseemly, yes, but sometimes it’s our duty to criticize presidents, especially those who exhibit authoritarian tendencies—both in Williamstown and Washington, DC. I’m disappointed by this election, but also with the “us vs them” political rhetoric from the Williams administration.